


Flowers for the Dead

by merry_magpie



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Comment Fic, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Pining, Woobie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-18
Updated: 2010-08-18
Packaged: 2017-10-11 03:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/108017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merry_magpie/pseuds/merry_magpie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Comment fic that grew too big to be proper comment fic. Now it's flash fic. For zahrawithaz's comment about Gwen and h/c <a href="http://sophinisba.livejournal.com/280803.html?thread=3447011#t3447011">here</a> and inspired by her "prompt" <i>Someone needs to give the girl flowers on Tom's birthday, yo.</i></p>
    </blockquote>





	Flowers for the Dead

**Author's Note:**

> Comment fic that grew too big to be proper comment fic. Now it's flash fic. For zahrawithaz's comment about Gwen and h/c [here](http://sophinisba.livejournal.com/280803.html?thread=3447011#t3447011) and inspired by her "prompt" _Someone needs to give the girl flowers on Tom's birthday, yo._

Gwen stepped to the side of the hall into an alcove to catch her breath. Morgana had been preoccupied all day, all week, and it was starting to wear Gwen thin. Normally, Gwen would have had this day off, as she had every year, to help celebrate her father's birthday. This was her first year to do that alone, and she had wanted to ask for the day off, but had not been brave enough to confront the look of sadness and pity in Morgana's eyes when she did. So she put it off and now Morgana was distant and Gwen barely had the time to catch her breath let alone stop by the spot where her father and her used to picnic on Gwen's mother's birthday.

So she did what she always did when things weren't going the way she hoped they might, she let go of her desires and moved forward. It was her father who had taught her that after her mother's death, watching him pound out horseshoes and swords well into the night, and while difficult it was the only way she knew to live.

Taking one last breath, she moved back into the hallway and headed towards Morgana's room. When she arrived Morgana was pinning her cloak at her throat. Gwen's red cloak was on the bed. "I've decided it's too nice a day to miss." She said and looked pointedly at the red cloak.

"I'll get Linny to walk with you, my Lady." Gwen said seeing this as her opportunity for peace and some quiet time hiding in Morgana's chambers. Even if was only to darn hose.

"Ridiculous. Gwen, you must accompany me. Besides, Linny smells of soup."

"That's because she works in the kitchens." Gwen said trying to be kind but knowing Morgana was right. Linny did smell of soup.

"Gwen, the cloak is out. Please join me." And for the first time all week Morgana took the time to look at Gwen. Gwen had wanted that, even for a moment, all week and she found her resistance disappearing.

"I'd be happy to join you." She said as she walked to pick up the cloak.

\--

Morgana was typically the type of person to stride purposefully even when the goal of an outing was to wander aimlessly and so Gwen walked beside her, trying to keep up with Morgana, who even more so than normal, was walking aimlessly with conviction.

They wandered down through the town, passing even Morgana's favorite jewelry shops, out through the gates, and down to the fields below the city. When Morgana grew bored there, they wandered through the groomed walking paths of the forest and down to the stream. Along the way they passed all of Morgana's favorite places to stop and chat: the bench under the apple tree in the courtyard, the alcove cut into a hedge row near the fields, and the swing under an oak tree in the forest.

Clearly, Morgana had something in mind, but she didn't appear to be in the mood to talk and neither was Gwen, so Gwen turned her thoughts inward and followed Morgana. They would end up where ever and whenever they would and then Gwen would have to get back to her chores regardless working well into the night to make up for missed time this afternoon.

Morgana slowed down and Gwen, still lost in her thoughts, almost walked into her. She shook herself out of her own pitying thoughts and waited to see if Morgana needed anything. Expect, Morgana was smiling at her, and waiting expectantly. Gwen took a second look around and her breath caught in her throat. Morgana had led them to the same spot where she and her father had picnicked every year. It was small glade near a stream with a patch of grass just large enough for a blanket to be spread over in between the oaks and birches. Arthur and Merlin where already there, sitting on a blanket emblazoned with the Pendragon crest. She thought they had left to go hunting this morning. Merlin was rooting through a basket with a bun in his mouth while Arthur was standing up and walking towards her with flowers in his hand.

He handed them to her, a small bouquet of forget-me-nots and violets, Gwen's favorites, wrapped in a gold ribbon. He looked down to her, his eyes earnest and when she glanced at Morgana she saw they were as sincere and happy as Arthur's. She looked down at her flowers and felt her throat close up and her eyes fill with tears.

"Oh, don't, er, don't cry." Arthur said, his hand held out half way towards her as if he couldn't decide whether or not it was appropriate to comfort her with his touch. "It was Morgana's idea."

Morgana scoffed at Arthur.

Merlin walked up beside her, and with none of the same compunctions as Arthur hugged Gwen. "Arthur, did you make her cry?"

"I gave her flowers."

"I'm not crying because I'm sad." Gwen said, cutting in. "Well, I am, but I'm also happy. I thought everyone had forgotten about him. I thought I would have no time this year to remember him. I thought." She cut herself off, not trusting herself to go on.

Morgana wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her towards the picnic blanket. "You thought we wouldn't care." She said softly. Gwen looked away, unwilling to answer. "We care, Gwen. We care about you and Tom." Gwen looked up at her friends, all sitting on the blanket. Morgana looked angry still fuming that Uther killed Tom. Merlin looked sad. Arthur looked conflicted, but he was here to help celebrate the life of one of his father's victims and Gwen knew how hard that must have been for him.

She smiled unwilling to say anything to break the moment. The hurt she had was still there, tangled up with so much else, but she had her friends, unlikely as they were, and she had her father's memory to celebrate.

Merlin pulled out a bottle of honey wine from the basket and poured it into four cups. When Gwen had hers she held it up and said. "For my father, for Tom the smith of Camelot."

And her friends replied, "For Tom."


End file.
